The Panthers play through the first quarter of 2017 on the offensive line can only be described as erratic. After keeping quarterback Cam Newton clean to the tune of no sacks allowed against a strong defensive front seven in San Francisco Week 1, the line regressed mightily in the absence of Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil, allowing 10 sacks to the Bills and Saints before bouncing back for an improved performance against the struggling Patriots. This week, they take on another line that, like the Saints in Week 3, is still improving but has parts that have shown that they can make true impacts on the game when given the opportunities.
Like the 49ers and Bills, the Lions use a revolving cast of defensive lineman to both confuse and tire out opposing offensive linemen. Last week against the Vikings where they produced six sacks, seven defensive linemen logged more than 40% of the defensive snaps; this rotation allowed the players to stay fresh and contributed to the Vikings only being able to rush for 87 yards.
While the Panthers boast one of the best interior offensive lines in the league, whether Tyler Larsen or Ryan Kalil is at center, the rotation of tackles A’Shawn Robinson, Haloti Ngata, and Akeem Spence will cause disruption in the middle of the field throughout the game. Ngata and Robinson in particular are great run stuffers and space eaters, and Spence can knife into the backfield on any given play. However, Norwell and Turner should be able to work with whomever is in the middle to create holes up the gut. While this Lions defense has been stingy against the run thus far this season by only allowing 86.3 yards per game, they’re second-to-last in the NFL on stopping plays for no gain or a loss.
Ezekial “Ziggy” Ansah is unquestionably the leader of this defense, and while he spent much of last year battling injuries, he is looking back to the form that had him racking up 35 sacks in his first five years in the league, coming off a three-sack performance against the Giants in Week 3. Ansah will be matched up with Matt Kalil, and while this seems to be the case for most weeks, he will have his hands full against this quick, powerful rusher. His length and speed will cause problems for Kalil as he struggles against speed edge rushers vs. power rushers; a power rusher like Trey Flowers or Dietrich Wise for the Patriots were much easier to control for the divisive left tackle. Against rushers like Jerry Hughes (Bills) or Cameron Jordan (Saints), Kalil struggled mightily. Look for guard Andrew Norwell to be helping Kalil consistently as the blocking slides his way.
“The definition of struggle is always different inside than it is from an outside perspective, I think there’s a lot of moving parts, especially on offense. There’s a lot of times the guys get the brunt of the blame because on the outside it looks like their fault, but there’s a lot of moving parts, especially in the pass game when you’re counting sacks.”
-Center Ryan Kalil
Ansah is used all over the defensive line (much like Cameron Jordan for the Saints) and his fellow defensive end Anthony Zettel has been outplaying his draft position with four sacks through four weeks; however, the sixth round pick’s sacks have mostly come on exotic blitzes and formations where he was either unblocked or matched up against a tight end.
Overall, the Lions defense has played well this season due mostly to the success of their secondary, but the pressure their defensive line has provided is extremely important in forcing the quarterbacks into poor decisions. As always, an extra second for Newton to throw usually leads to completions.
